Rumour: Next Xbox To Be Six Times More Powerful Than Xbox 360?

But GPU "Akin To The Radeon HD 6670"

IGN have splashed up an intriguing rumour about the next-generation Xbox, which is heavily tipped for an E3 2012 reveal. According to "sources close to the project," Microsoft's next console will feature a graphics card that provides six times the processing power of the Xbox 360. The GPU will also apparently offer 20% greater performance compared to the Wii U if current leaked specifications are to be believed.

The bad news, however, is that the GPU is reportedly derived from the budget Radeon HD 6670.

Initial reports suggested that the 'NextBox' would be powered by a derivative of AMD's 7000 series GPU, but IGN's source suggests that the truth might be very different. Instead, the GPU may be based on the Radeon HD 6670 which most hardcore PC gamers would instantly dismiss as a budget entry-level graphics card. Its c. £50 asking price is reflected by some middling performance on many recent PC titles, so if true, Microsoft may be putting an attractive price ahead of raw power. Whether this rumour is based in reality - and what it means for Microsoft's next home console - remains to be seen.

Probably doesn't matter much, because consoles use a "unified architecture".

The Xbox 360 was originally designed with architecture(s) that were VERY different to current systems in PCs:

"Xenos's shader processing architecture is fundamentally and significantly different from current platforms and ATI obviously must have perceived an issue with current methodologies otherwise they wouldn't have gone to these lengths to change the pipeline."http://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/4/11 (conclusion)

For sure. The GPU will almost certainly sport major modifications and will operate in a 'closed box' environment, so performance will doubtlessly be improved and optimised. But the HD 6670 is still an interesting potential choice (this is still very much a rumour) considering the range of alternative hardware on offer. Not to mention the need for future-proofing.